Greetings from the Odinson,
The Rogues Gallery is the group of villains who repeatedly plague our hero, the city and citizens of the city under his protection, and in some cases the world. Over the next few weeks I will talk about some of my favorite Rogues Galleries. This week I will take a look at the villains brave enough (or dumb enough) to practice their nefarious trade in the City of Tomorrow.
Part 6: Superman’s Rogues Gallery
Mister Mxyzptlk – More a nuisance than villain really, Mxyzptlk is an imp from the Fifth Dimension. He vexes the Man of Steel because he possesses the ability to alter reality. With a snap of his fingers he can turn downtown Metropolis into Candyland. Mxyzptlk’s ability to alter reality and teleport just out of Superman’s reach makes him near unbeatable. The only way he can be defeated is by tricking him to say or read his name backwards. This banishes him back to his own dimension, earning Superman the victory. For thirty days anyway. Must Reads: Action Comics #273 and 563; Superman (Vol. 1) #154 and 335, Superman (Vol. 2) #11; Superman: Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite TPB; and Adventures of Superman #441 and 496.
General Zod – He was the greatest military mind on planet Krypton. However, Krypton was a planet of peace. So what is a man-of-war to do when there are no wars to be fought? Zod chose rebellion. He lost. For his crimes Zod, along with his fellow conspirators Non and Ursa, were banished to the Phantom Zone. This allowed Zod to escape death when Krypton was destroyed. Now he plagues the son of Jor-El in the present. Zod is dangerous because under Earth’s yellow sun he has all of Superman’s powers, plus he and his cohorts out number Kal-El three to one. One can never over estimate a keen military mind. Must Reads: Superman (Vol. 2) #22, Action Comics #776, 802, and 804-805; Superman: For Tomorrow HC Vol. 1-2; and Superman: Last Son HC.
Bizarro – He is the “Reverse-Superman.” Bizarro is as strong as Superman, but his thinking is backwards. Hello means bye. Up means down. And heroic deeds on Bizarroworld can take on a whole new meaning. Sometimes Bizarro wants to help, but his backwards way of thinking can put normal (or sane) people in harm’s way. Other times he is a tool that is manipulated by Lex Luthor and others to be used against the Man of Steel. Whether he’s an alternate universe version or failed clone of Superman, Bizarro is both one of the funniest and scariest villains on this list. Must Reads: Action Comics #254, 255, 263, 264, and 785; Superman (Vol. 1) #140, 143, 169, 202, 306, 333, and 379; Man of Steel #5, Superman (Vol. 2) #160, 181, and 221; Bizarro Comics HC; Bizarro World HC; and Superman: Escape from Bizarro World HC.
Parasite – In Pre-Crisis continuity he was Raymond Jensen, and he got his powers when he came into contact with radioactive debris that Superman brought back from outer space. In Post-Crisis continuity he is Rudy Jones, a man manipulated by the Lord of Apokolips Darkseid himself into becoming the new Parasite. The Parasite is especially dangerous because his body absorbs the energy and strength of anyone he comes close to. If the Parasite absorbs too much energy from someone they die. Even Superman must use extreme caution when dealing with this enemy. Must Reads: Action Comics #340, 361, and 715; Superman (Vol. 1) #322 and 369; Superman (Vol. 2) #156-157; Superboy (1994-2002 3rd Series) #6; Supergirl (1996-2003 3rd Series) #35; Adventures of Superman #482; and Superman/Batman #28. NOTE: Pre-Crisis is DCU continuity before Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Post-Crisis is DCU continuity after said Crisis.
Darkseid – The undisputed Lord of the dark planet Apokolips, Darkseid is a dark god whose ultimate goal in life is to find the meaning to the Anti-Life Equation. Armed with strength that rivals Superman’s, his immeasurably powerful Omega-Beams, immortality, and an unnerving patience that could only have been honed over millennia of scheming, Darkseid has proven to be one the greatest threats in the DCU. He once destroyed the planet that was home to the New Gods, perhaps the only beings in the cosmos who could thwart his malevolent plans. In the wake of the original Crisis, Darkseid was a hair’s breath away from turning mankind against its heroes, thus allowing him to step in and finally conquer planet Earth. He even once sought out the Mad Titan, Thanos, a denizen from the Marvel Universe whose worship of death rivaled even his own, to destroy him, for there can be only one lord of destruction. Now, he plagues the heroes once again in the latest, and perhaps greatest, Crisis. Must Reads: The Hunger Dogs GN; Legends TPB; Action Comics #600; Superman (Vol. 2) #3 and 104; Cosmic Odyssey TPB; Wonder Woman by George Perez TPB Vol. 3 "Beauty and the Beasts!"; Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger GN; Marvel vs. DC TPB; Superman/Batman HC Vol. 2; and Final Crisis.
Brainiac – This cold and calculating man-machine is the original Agent Smith. Obsessed with finding knowledge and assimilating all organic life under his rule, Brainiac has been a thorn in the side of Superman for many years. This diabolical villain is responsible for shrinking the capital city of Krypton, Superman’s homeworld, and holding its inhabitants hostage in a bottle to be studied like lab rats. His erstwhile partnership with Lex Luthor has plagued the Man of Steel and challenged Superman like no other duo can. Brainiac has gone through many incarnations, but none scarier than his truly robotic one. The post-Crisis Brainiac once took over the battle planet known as Warworld and attempted to annihilate Superman’s adoptive planet. It took an army of Earth’s heroes to thwart the villain’s plans. Brainiac is so wicked that he once attempted to dissect Aquaman’s brain just to see what made the undersea king tick, all while the aquatic hero was conscious. Now that’s evil. Must Reads: Action Comics #242, 275, 280, 491, 514, 530, 544, 545, 649, 723, and 866-870; Superman (Vol. 1) #167 and 173; Superman (Vol. 2) #200; Adventures of Superman #438 and 445; and Superman: Panic in the Sky TPB.
Doomsday – He is a creature that was born out experiments to make the perfect killing machine. He is a nigh-unstoppable juggernaut fueled by rage and possesses a wanton desire to destroy. He has fought and defeated the Justice League, DC’s premiere super-team. He stood toe-to-toe with Superman, the greatest super-hero of all time. It was a battle so epic that the Last Son of Krypton had to sacrifice his own life to win. What else can you say about a monster called Doomsday? Another facet to this creature is that every time he is defeated he regenerates and comes back stronger, smarter, and deadlier than before. Must Reads: The Death of Superman TPB; Superman/Doomsday: Hunter Prey TPB; The Doomsday Wars TPB; Superman/Doomsday TPB; Adventures of Superman #594; Wonder Woman (1987-2006 2nd Series) #111; and Death and Return of Superman Omnibus HC.
Lex Luthor – Arguably the smartest man alive, Luthor, much like other great villains, if not for certain events in his life, could have been Superman’s greatest ally in the pursuit of justice. Instead, jealousy and arrogance forever pit this mad genius against the Man of Steel and the rest of the DCU. One time he used all the vast resources at his disposal to find out the secret identity of his most hated enemy, but Luthor’s arrogance would not allow him to believe the truth, even when it stared him in the face. Lex Luthor is so diabolical that an alternate version of himself almost destroyed everything (see Infinite Crisis). He even once schemed his way into the White House and presided over the most powerful country in the world. It took the combined prowess of DC’s greatest heroes, the Man of Steel and Dark Knight Detective, to take him down. If you’d really like to see this ultimate bad guy at his truly best, check out Justice League Unlimited: The Animated Series Season 2. The breakout stars of the final season of the JLA cartoon are, without a doubt, the villains, and Luthor stands head and shoulders above the rest. The scariest thing about Luthor is that much like all megalomaniacs, he truly believes he’s right. Superman is the bad guy, and the world would be a better place under Luthor’s rule. Must Reads: Action Comics #298, 318, 335, 466, 511, 512, and 660; Superman (Vol. 1) #149, 164, 170, 175, 292, 363, 385, 386, and 412; Superman (Vol. 2) #2; Adventures of Superman #586; Secret Files: President Luthor; Superman/Batman TPB Vol. 1; and Superman: Back in Action TPB.
Honorable Mentions: Solomon Grundy, Metallo, Toy Man, Mongul, Titano, the Kryptonite Man, Vartox, Cyborg-Superman, Ma-Gog, the Galactic Golem, Bloodsport, Amazo, Rampage, Silver Banshee, Terra-Man, Livewire, Superboy-Prime, Atlas, magic, out-of-control or changing powers, and Kryptonite.
NOTE: Even though Solomon Grundy only made the honorable mention list, and the fact that he is more of a JSA villain, he and Superman have had some very memorable meetings. So as a special bonus here are a couple of my personal favorites. Solomon Grundy vs. Superman
Lucky for the citizens of Metropolis the Man of Tomorrow is the greatest hero of them all. He has to be in order to consistently vanquish the villains on this list. Next week I’ll take a look at the creatures and spirits that haunt the citizens of Sunnydale.
This is Odinson bidding thee farewell!
Nov 5, 2008 at 2:37 PM Okay I see that you have a pretty good list here. Rampage (Kitty Faulkner's alterego) though turned into a hero later on and was part of the S.t.a.r Corps (a DC minni-series). I do think Metallo should be mentioned fully since he's menaced Superman atleast as much as Mr Mxyzptlk has (and is more of a threat especialy considering his power sorce is a chunk of Kryptonite. Also Conduit should be atleast an Honorable mention since he gave Superman a true run for his money and was one of Clark Kent's freinds earlier on in his life. Chemo should also be considered an honorable mention since he's not only taken on Superman, but has also clashed with Supergirl (Matrix) atleast once. One other honorable mention should be Dominus.